The oily neighbor woman
Wants me allied.
Her moans in the back
Hallway shuffle in
Under the door and bully
My attention.
I tell her yes, her indignation
At the sad state
Of our dumpster is sane,
Righteous, calculated.
The growling never goes away.
It mosses my home, grows
Insolent and bushy over my escape.
Categories: emily renaud
I cannot address this growing
Urgency, civilian fireworks, or
Your current desire for me to
“Make a difference.”
It’s not because I’m eating grapes
Or because I’m hurriedly pruning
A domesticated animal.
It’s because I’m only using
Language to lie, and my callous
Words would be too splendid,
Too joyful to touch the infirm.
So I must ask you to refrain from
Thinking of me if ever the time
To act is now, or only I can help.
Categories: emily renaud
There used to be a difference
Between a teapot and a kettle.
The Kettle a fiery stuntman—
As time went on, you claimed
This distinction was irrelevant.
You now speak as if they
Are the same, think pots and
Kettles can both withstand the fire,
Can both be polite t company.
You tell me to put the teapot on,
And I don’t know what that means.
The problem is not that this distinction
Isn’t useful anymore, the problem is
Your inability to tell me the truth
About the objects that keep us together.
Categories: emily renaud
I bought an umbrella and it rained.
I bought a car and they built a road.
I bought a door and I won a house.
When I stole my lunch
The owner of the cafeteria died.
When I visited his grave
The wind untied my shoelaces
And arranged them into a white rose,
And I left it for a tip.
The leaves that fell from the stem
Bought me another car
And the powers that be paved my way.
When I looked out my office window
I thought to phone you and tell you
But you rung me first to profess your love
And that was how we settled it.
Categories: jonathan tosch
